


Broken Things

by greendalecoolcat



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Angst, Drinking, F/M, Overdosing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-22 15:29:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7444366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greendalecoolcat/pseuds/greendalecoolcat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An alternate ending to G.I. Jeff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broken Things

**Author's Note:**

> I watched this episode recently, and like most people, I feel as though the resolution to this episode was unfulfilling and disappointing. I wrote an ending that I would have liked to see, I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> ***Warning: Drinking, overdosing, and pill addictions are discussed.***

_A group hug? We’re done talking about it? His problem is solved? He almost just died and now we’re going to move on? What the hell?_

Annie was bewildered. She was heartbroken. Scared. One of her best friends, the person she loved was a breath away from dying and now that he woke up they were going to act as if it never happened.

“Annie, wait!” Jeff called out from the hospital bed—he struggled to sit up as the rest of the group watched on with wide eyes—as an angry Annie began to flee the room.

She stopped at the door but didn’t turn around.

“Annie…” He started again.

She could feel the tears well up in her eyes as she still refused to turn back. She couldn’t look at him. She didn’t want to be there if this issue was something that would be brushed under the rug. It was too important. Too close to home.

“What’s wrong?”

That got her to turn around instantly, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong! Jeff, you almost died!”

He looked stunned, caught off-guard by her outburst. “I…I didn’t…I’m awake now, I’m alright.”

“Jeff.” Annie closed her eyes and collected herself before speaking again, “You got lucky. _We_ got lucky. This could have ended really badly. I’ve seen enough people in rehab who never come back from incidents like this. We could have lost you.” Her voice cracked as the tears fell.

Shirley shuffled over to comfort her, while Britta hesitantly began to pat her back reassuringly. “Ann-ie! It’s okay, Jeffrey is going to be fine!” Shirley said as she squeezed her arm.

“Yeah, this jackass isn’t going anywhere,” Britta laughed half-heartedly.

Abed, Chang, and Hickey stayed by Jeff’s bedside and watched as the women rushed to Annie, all the while Jeff was sitting up in bed crestfallen, upset that he made Annie cry yet again. He didn’t mean to, but he didn’t know what to say. He was alive after all, what more did she want?

Annie broke away from her friends and shook her head, once again overcoming with anger. “That’s not the point! I know he’s alive. But we can’t just forget about this! This is serious!”

Hickey sighed and shook his head, “Look, Miss Edison. He’s a man, he’s fine. He took a few pills, had an extra tall glass of scotch. It happens to the best of us‒”

“No!” She cut him off. “It doesn’t!”

Abed looked between Annie and Hickey and continued to say, “This is just like on LOST when Charlie is talking to Mr. Eko about—”

“Abed,” Jeff cut him off. “Everyone. Can you give me and Annie a minute? Please.” It was a moment before he met Annie’s eyes.

The rest of the group looked at one another but eventually left after the tension became too much to handle. Annie was standing in the same spot while Jeff stayed on the bed, unable to move away from the machines he was still hooked up to.

“Annie, please come here,” he said exhaustedly.

She was hesitant but eventually crossed her arms over her chest and walked over.

When she was at his side, he reached for her arms, pulling them away from where she was holding them protectively over her body. He gripped onto her hand, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just…I _am_ okay! I can go home tomorr‒!”

“Jeff, that’s not it. I know you’re okay _now_ but…What about later? These things don’t just happen out of the blue.” She looked at their hands holding on to one another. Her eyes studied the tubes and wires taped to his wrists and fingers. “Why did you do this?”

“I…I don’t know. I told you. I turned forty and I…didn’t want to.”

Annie sat on the edge of the bed, still holding his hand. “Jeff, that’s ridiculous. Your age doesn’t matter, getting older doesn’t make you any less of a person!”

He laughed coldly, avoiding her gaze.

“It’s more than that, isn’t it?”

He looked away from her and studied the stained ceiling tile in the corner of the room.

“Jeff?”

He looked at her with tired eyes and a tired face. “How can I ever be someone who is good enough for a person like you?”

Her eyes grew wide and she squeezed his hand, “What do you mean? Why would you say that?”

Jeff sighed and looked at the needle piercing his hand. “You know more than anyone that there is something between us,” his voice was softer than before. “I know I tried to brush it away with the whole platonic-shoulder-holding crap but I didn’t mean it. I was just trying to give another reason for you to distance yourself from me. I’m not good for you, Annie.”

Annie’s eyes were filled with unshed tears as she listened to every word coming out of Jeff’s mouth. Her voice was thick with emotion as she attempted to respond to his ridiculous claim, “Jeff. How could you think that you’re anything but good for me? I love you for who you are, Jeff. I never expected you to change.” She sniffled and let out a small sob.

“Annie, you deserve to be with someone who can make you happy, not someone who ignored his feelings towards you. You need to be with someone successful and younger and‒”

“Is that why you took those pills? Because of me? You thought I wanted someone who looked younger?” She interrupted him as more tears rolled down her face.

“God, Annie, no! Of course not, it wasn’t because of you.” He wiped away some of her tears with his thumb. “I just thought that if I could take something that was supposed to make me look younger then I would still have a chance to be taken seriously…”

She sniffed and wiped away another tear. “That’s absurd.”

He huffed out a laugh, “I know. I feel stupid now that I’m saying it out loud.”

“You could have talked to me, Jeff. I don’t get it; why did you take so many? Were you trying to…” She trailed off, not wanting to finish her thought.

“No, of course not!” Jeff said as he caught on to her implication. “The pills were crap. I got them from some guy in my building. It was a stupid move. I defended so many bastards in court who tried selling bogus medication just like this. I should have known.”

“I should have known too. I’ve been where you are. I hate that I didn’t know you were feeling like this.” Annie removed one of her hands from Jeff’s and gently caressed his face, smoothing her thumb over his pale cheekbone.

“Annie, please don’t blame yourself for my dumb mistake.” He was looking at her earnestly.

They looked at each other for a long moment before she willed herself to speak again. “Jeff, what do I have to do to make you believe that you’re good enough for me? For all of us?”

Her words were enough to make even his eyes fill with the heat of unshed tears. “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you anymore than I already have,” he avoided answering her question.

“I just want you to be happy. You mean so much to us.”

“Right back at ya, kiddo.” He said, trying to mask that he was overcome with emotion.

Annie let out a breath of laughter at his old sentiment, but continued to move in closer, slowly leaning down to capture his lips with her own. The kiss was chaste, meaningful. Enough to leave them with their foreheads resting together and their eyes closed.

“Are you sure you want to be with a forty-year-old teacher who overdosed on pills?” Jeff asked with their heads still pressed together, only a breath apart.

“Are you sure you want to be with a twenty-four-year-old student who overcame her pill addiction but is still trying to figure her life out?”

Jeff smiled at her response, for the first time feeling like someone actually understood him.

Maybe they were similar after all. Two broken people who could mend each other.

 


End file.
